“What is that?” The best comics to have on your coffee table
I always try to get my non-comic reading friends to pick up a book or two just for fun. Most of the time, it doesn’t work. Until one day at my old apartment, I put a mildly offensive copy of Fantastic Four (see below) down on my coffee table. A friend came over, and he got really excited. “Oh man, what is that?” He picked it up and read it cover to cover. Now, he didn’t pick up reading books as a full-time hobby, but he was more inclined to read if I suggested some non-super hero material to him. That’s what most of us would like to some degree, to have that small amount of disrespect disappear from our non-comic reading friends.
Listed below are my five favorite coffee table comic covers. The material inside may be good, or it may be awful, but it will peak interest from non-readers. A minor warning, some of these covers may come off as offensive in a minor way, even down-right in poor taste. These are meant to be used in a comedic manor, so don’t put these out if your friends don’t like having a chuckle.
Marvel Comics + The FBI + 1990 = AWESOME PROPAGANDA! I know, the math equations thing may be out of hand… I love when people declare war against inanimate objects. If I waged war on pens, I’m pretty sure 95% of the time, I’d come out on top. Now, if he was waging war against the word “drugs”, as seen on the cover, then he’s already won. However, if he’s waging war against illegal substances, well he better team up with Nancy Reagan for some more support.
What a jerk! Yes, Jimmy gets a second book on this list, can you blame him? The covers are some of the funniest things in the world. He’s making Superman watch a sad movie so he can collect his tears. This works on two different levels.
A. Superman is incredibly emotional if he’s crying THAT much from a sad film.
B. Jimmy Olsen is a #$%@
Your friends are going to wonder why he’s crying and I’ll let you in on a little secret… SPOILER ALERT!: The issue is awful, but the cover is A+ material!
Epic is at is again! Whether you buy this book or not… Duke from G.I. Joe is going to “nail these kids”. This cover speaks for itself. I found it in a 25 cent bin at a show, and I kid you not, for a week straight, I laughed so hard I was crying. I read this issue and it is downright awful, which is probably the reason you never heard of the book.
This is my second favorite coffee table cover book. Comedian and French Favorite, Jerry Lewis, had his own book. Not only that, there are two volumes of it. Volume 2 is called The Adventures of Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis, the covers aren’t as great as this one, but they’ll do. The reason I find it so funny is because the cover is trying so hard to be funny and it fails so badly. Also, there is a bird with a million dollar beak inside.
My favorite coffee table book, I love you F4 #292…This issue wins on so many different levels. It’s hilarious, has Hitler hanging out and saluting for no reason, and can encourage debates on paradox and time travel. Not only is the cover awesome, it’s a John Byrne story, so it’s actually a good read. People can spot this on your table from a mile away. “Is that Hitler on the cover of Fantastic Four? Can I read it?” Yes…yes you can. This book is not only loved a whole lot by me, but everyone that works at our comic book store owns it. In fact, every time we get an issue into the store, we have to pull it for other frequent shoppers, it’s that high in demand and still only $4! Great cover meets great story…
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